Levi Clement Hill

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(26 May 1883 – 4 September 1961) was a British

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-l ...

officer who became the first General Secretary of the

National Association of Local Government Officers The National and Local Government Officers' Association was a British trade union representing mostly local government "white collar" workers. It was formed in 1905 as the National Association of Local Government Officers, and changed its full ...

(NALGO), from 1909 until 1943. Though now regarded as a

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ...

leader, Hill said in 1910 that "anything savouring of trade unionism is nausea to the local government officer and his Association." Born in

Bolton Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish weavers settled in the area in the 14th ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...

, he worked as a clerk in the

County Borough of Bolton Bolton was, from 1838 to 1974, a local government district in the northwest of England conterminate with the town of Bolton. History Bolton was created a free Borough in 1253 when William de Ferrers, 5th Earl of Derby, granted a charter. However, ...

treasurer's department. He became secretary of the authority's staff association, the Bolton Municipal Officers' Guild, and, from 1906, a delegate to NALGO's national executive council (NEC) chaired by

Herbert Blain Sir Herbert Edwin Blain (14 May 1870 – 16 December 1942) was a British trade unionist and political activist. Blain was educated at Liverpool Technical School, then began his career as a clerk working for Liverpool Corporation.Whitley Council Whitley may refer to: Places ;United Kingdom *Whitley, Berkshire, a suburb of Reading *Whitley, Cheshire, a village near Warrington * Whitley, Coventry, a suburb of Coventry, West Midlands *Whitley, Essex, near Birdbrook * Whitley, Wigan, Greater ...

s in local government, bringing together employers and staff representatives to consider issues of pay and conditions of service. J. A. Chandler, ''Explaining Local Government: Local Government in Britain Since 1800'', Oxford University Press, 2013, p.151
/ref> According to NALGO's official history, Hill gave the Association "every ounce of his outstanding energy, vision and organizing genius".Spoor, pp.218-219 He retired from NALGO in 1943, "weary of increasing and often bitter personal conflicts with some members of the NEC and his senior staff". He prepared a report on the reorganisation of local government in

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

, and took up a post as head of the department of public and social administration at

University College, Exeter , mottoeng = "We Follow the Light" , established = 1838 - St Luke's College1855 - Exeter School of Art1863 - Exeter School of Science 1955 - University of Exeter (received royal charter) , type = Public , ...

. He also ran a course on local government for Commonwealth students in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, where he died in 1961, aged 78.

References

1883 births 1961 deaths General Secretaries of NALGO {{UK-trade-unionist-bio-stub